(first-place votes in parentheses)

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BOYS

Divisions 1-3 W-L Pts Pvs

Marquette's Jacob MacPhee, left, gets a hand in the face of Westwood's Tristan Miller as he blocks the shot during their high school boys basketball game played at the Patriots’ gym in Ishpeming on Dec. 16. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

1. Marquette (6) 8-2 30 1

2. Kingsford 9-1 24 2

3. Westwood 9-3 16 3

4. Iron Mountain 7-2 11 4

5. Negaunee 8-2 7 5

Negaunee defenders Keira Waterman, left, and Clare O’Donnell, right, surround Ishpeming’s Mya Hemmer and foul the Hematites player as she drives toward the basket in the second quarter during their high school girls basketball game played at the Hematites’ gym on Feb. 9, 2024. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

Others receiving votes: Munising (8-2) 2

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Division 4 W-L Pts Pvs

1. Forest Park (6) 8-1 30 1

2. Dollar Bay 8-2 20 2

3. Pickford 7-1 16 3

4. North Dickinson 9-2 12 —

(tie) Norway 7-3 12 T4

Others receiving votes: None

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GIRLS

Divisions 1-3 W-L Pts Pvs

1. Negaunee (6) 11-0 30 1

2. Gladstone 9-0 24 2

3. Houghton 7-2 15 3

4. Sault Ste. Marie 7-2 13 4

5. Ishpeming 4-3 5 —

Others receiving votes: Calumet (4-3) 2, Kingsford (5-4) 1

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Division 4 W-L Pts Pvs

1. St. Ignace (5) 8-1 29 1

2. Ewen-Trout Creek (1)

3. Munising 8-0 15 4

4. L’Anse 8-1 13 5

5. Lake Linden-Hubbell 7-2 7 3

Others receiving votes: Newberry (7-2) 1

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MARQUETTE — The number of area high school teams receiving votes has dropped a bit, but having nine basketball teams in the rankings still seems like a pretty good number for local schools in the second weekly polls released today by the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.

Last week’s first polls saw 11 area teams either in the top five or just missing it but still receiving votes.

The marquee squads from among area teams are the same, however, with the Marquette boys and Negaunee girls topping their respective Divisions 1-3 rankings.

There’s one unusual ranking that those in Alger County will notice right away — the Munising girls are No. 3 in Division 4, while the Mustangs boys are in the “others” category — but in Divisions 1-3.

That’s because MHS was one of those schools caught “between” divisions this winter, with the small differences in the dividing lines for divisions between boys and girls basketball catching Munising’s enrollment number just right.

Ishpeming and Negaunee were in that situation last winter when each school’s girls team made a run at a state title, the Hematites successful in that quest.

This winter, however, the Negaunee girls remain perfect at 11-0 and not surprisingly are unanimous as No. 1 in the U.P. in Divisions 1-3.

Some in Gladstone might contest that, since the No. 2 Braves are also perfect at 9-0.

The Ishpeming girls (4-3), who moved up to Division 3 this winter, entered the D 1-3 top five in fifth place after being in the “others” region a week ago.

In Division 4 girls, despite their own perfect 8-0 record, Munising is only No. 3, trailing 8-1 St. Ignace and 9-1 Ewen-Trout Creek.

In addition, L’Anse (8-1) is right behind the Mustangs in fourth, while Newberry (7-2) just missed the top five as an “other.”

In Divisions 1-3 boys, the Sentinels are 8-2 but still unanimous at No. 1, considering their losses are to Division 1 Traverse City West and TC Central, a pair of downstate teams with four losses between them.

Westwood (9-3) remained third in D 1-3, as did Negaunee (8-2) at No. 5. Munising (8-2) just missed the top five as the “other.”

In Division 4, no area team made the rankings that are led by Forest Park (8-1) as unanimous at No. 1, followed by Dollar Bay, Pickford, North Dickinson and Norway.

Two Friday night games feature matchups between U.P.-ranked teams from the area — on the boys side will be Westwood at Negaunee as the second half of a girls-boys doubleheader, while for the girls, Newberry is at Munising.

Associated Press state rankings weren’t available at the time this story was written early Monday evening.

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 552. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.